There were only two Grand Universe Formations between Biluo Pass and the Outpost Camp, serving as waypoints. After passing through the second Grand Universe Formation, another month of travel would bring them to the Outpost Camp. For Yang Kai, the mission was essentially complete—once they arrived, the newcomers would be handled by Ding Yao and Liang Yulong.
After several small-scale battles, the newcomers' morale was at an unprecedented high. Some of the bolder ones even egged Yang Kai on to search the area and see if they could find more of the Ink Clan.
Yang Kai naturally refused, leaving some of the more aggressive newcomers feeling thoroughly bored.
On the deck, Grandmaster Mafan suddenly transmitted his voice quietly: "Is something wrong?"
Yang Kai turned to look at him. "Why do you ask, Grandmaster?"
Grandmaster Mafan frowned and shook his head. "I can't put my finger on it. I just get the feeling you're harboring some kind of scheme."
Yang Kai laughed. "What scheme could I be harboring? The newcomers are green—they should take a few small licks; no real harm done. A fall into the pit, a gain in wit. If everything went too smoothly, they'd develop bad habits of arrogance and overconfidence. The Ink Clan they've encountered so far aren't particularly strong, and there aren't many of them—they can handle it. But a large-scale military engagement would be an entirely different matter."
Grandmaster Mafan eyed him with suspicion, growing ever more convinced his intuition was right.
Just then, Yang Kai lightly clapped his hands, drawing every newcomer's attention. "You've all just arrived, and you've now seen the Ink Clan—killed quite a few of them, even. But don't you dare think the Ink Clan are nothing to worry about. Think that, and you won't be far from death. The Ink Clan are an extraordinarily tenacious race. They cannot be driven out, cannot be exterminated, and possess all manner of inconceivable abilities. For countless ages, our predecessors have fought the Ink Clan on this Battlefield of Ink, safeguarding the peace of the Three Thousand Worlds. The one principle they held above all was caution and vigilance. I hope that once you reach the Outpost Camp and join your respective squads, you'll follow in their footsteps—on this battlefield, only by surviving can you kill more of the Ink Clan. The slightest carelessness could bring about your complete annihilation."
Some of the many newcomers nodded subtly at these words; others remained impassive. They were all sixth-grade or above Open Heaven Realm cultivators—not children. After so many years of cultivation, such elementary principles hardly warranted someone droning on about them at length.
Yang Kai took in everyone's reactions and said no more, merely offering a faint smile. He turned his gaze toward someone standing amid the crowd. "Junior Brother Chang Zhou, do you have something to say?"
Chang Zhou blinked, then slowly shook his head. "Nothing."
Yang Kai's expression was warm, his smile genial. "Truly nothing at all?"
Chang Zhou's brow furrowed slightly. He said nothing.
Just as the newcomers wondered why Yang Kai had suddenly singled out Chang Zhou by name, the silent Chang Zhou abruptly erupted with power. The might of heaven and earth surged as he struck a palm blow toward the side.
The sudden turn of events caught everyone off guard—not even Grandmaster Mafan, standing nearby, had time to react.
Standing next to Chang Zhou were several sixth-grade Open Heaven cultivators who had let their guard down. Chang Zhou struck without mercy—one palm would either kill or grievously wound these sixth-graders.
But the strike was intercepted.
Almost the instant Chang Zhou moved, Yang Kai lunged at him. When their palms collided, the might of heaven and earth clashed and exploded outward. The aftershocks of two seventh-grade Open Heaven cultivators clashing were devastating, tearing the massive tower ship clean in two.
Only then did the newcomers realize something was wrong and scatter in all directions.
Looking back, Yang Kai and Chang Zhou were locked in a fierce battle. What met their eyes was two fighters moving with extreme ferocity—neither showing any intention of defense, purely attack against attack.
That was just how warriors from Asura Heaven were. No matter how refined and scholarly they appeared in daily life, the moment a fight broke out, they fought like lunatics. What the newcomers hadn't expected was that this senior brother sent to greet them was even fiercer than Chang Zhou.
No one understood what had suddenly happened—only Grandmaster Mafan's brow was tightly knitted, his expression thoughtful.
As for the flow of the battle, many of the onlookers could barely follow it. What made them even more curious was Yang Kai's identity.
After all, warriors from Asura Heaven fought like maniacs. At the same rank, even cultivators from other Grotto-heavens and Blessed Lands didn't lightly pick fights with Asura Heaven people—they truly fought as if their lives meant nothing.
Chang Zhou might be a newly promoted seventh-grader, but his combat strength was in no way inferior to seventh-graders who had held the rank for centuries.
Even against the most veteran seventh-graders, Chang Zhou could hold his own.
So when the newcomers saw that in just a few breaths, the senior brother who had come to greet them had already suppressed Chang Zhou's onslaught, they were utterly astonished.
Beside Grandmaster Mafan, a seventh-grader frowned. "Grandmaster, which Grotto-heaven or Blessed Land is this senior brother from?"
Though they had spent so many days together and Yang Kai was the one responsible for receiving them, he had never once introduced himself. The newcomers had been single-mindedly seeking out Ink Clan to fight, and none had bothered to ask about Yang Kai's name or origins. So until now, no one knew anything about him—they simply assumed he was a seventh-grader from some Grotto-heaven or Blessed Land.
Grandmaster Mafan sighed with a leisurely air. "He isn't from any Grotto-heaven or Blessed Land. He's the Lord of the Star World."
The questioner stared in surprise. "The Lord of the Star World?"
Someone nearby suddenly recalled something and raised an eyebrow. "The one who left the Black Domain and sealed the Void Corridor?"